Starting Over in a New Place: Why Orlando?

You moved to Orlando? Vacation there, sure, but live there? What else can you do besides go to the theme parks? You know there are sink holes, right? Florida has hurricanes and gators and snakes and old people and crazy politics! And the heat, the humidity – it’s like a sauna! These are a few of the comments I heard once I began talking about a possible move to the City Beautiful in the Sunshine State. Many of these warnings came from friends living in Texas, so that’s a lot of irony to take in. It’s not like Texas has heat and humidity and snakes and crazy politics, right?

Truthfully, I had never planned to move at all. Then one Memorial Day weekend, two significant events occurred—a graduation and an idea. My daughter was graduating from a college in Sarasota, a nice town but inconvenient when it came to flights. I decided to fly into Orlando, stay with an old friend, and then drive to the gulf coast for the graduation.

My son, my kids’ dad, and I landed in Orlando as planned and made our way to the eastern outskirts of the city to stay with Susan, our long-time friend and the kids’ honorary auntie. We drove around the city for a day or so heading over to my daughter’s college town, and I got a good feeling about the place. Graduation came and went smoothly, and we all headed back to Orlando. Again, I felt the city had some positive energy and enjoyed my experience there, short as it was.

I talked a lot with Susan about her life in Orlando. She had lived in the city over a decade and seemed happy. Then, in a conversation she later forgot but I always remembered, she mentioned her house and lamented how she had bought high, right before the housing crisis. When she told me about current housing costs, I nearly fell off my chair. I was living in trendy Austin, where house values were skyrocketing. In fact, I wasn’t sure how long I could afford to stay in my house. An idea began to form.

When I returned to Austin, I began researching my idea. What if I sold my house? I could pay off my debts, move somewhere less expensive, start over, and explore a new city. It wasn’t easy finding information on Orlando as a place to live all year round. I went online and began to follow the local newspaper, Orlando Sentinel, though it often covered events unrelated to the city. Then I discovered a local publication, Orlando Weekly, which focused on life in the city. Jackpot! It covered restaurants, festivals, neighborhoods, the cultural scene, and more. It gave me a good sense of Orlando’s potential and confirmed my initial impressions. I began to plan my move.

I’ve been in Orlando a few years now, and I’m loving it so far. I’ve settled in and am gradually becoming familiar with the city. I’ve attended local festivals, visited some of the art museums, and supported the public radio station and library. I found some familiar and new restaurants and stores, and best of all, attended a few Orlando City Soccer Club games (a club I supported years ago, when they first played in Austin as the Austin Aztex). There is still so much more to do here, but I’ve got time. And yes, when my kids visit, I will even go to the theme parks.